Mats Sundin warms up prior to his return to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Saturday. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

Fans in Toronto may not love Mats Sundin anymore, but they do still respect him.

After a week of buildup, the big Swede returned to the ice in Toronto on Saturday night as a Vancouver Canuck to a mix of cheers of boos for the warmup, and almost no attention at the start of the game.

However, a video tribute on the big scoreboard at the first television timeout led to a standing ovation for the former captain and an emotional wave to the crowd.

Sundin, who left the Leafs at the end of last season after 13 years in Toronto and eventually signed with Vancouver on Dec. 18, was unsure beforehand how the fans might treat him.

"I think there will be a lot of different sounds out there," he told the CBC's Elliotte Friedman. "We'll see. It's going to be an emotional night."

A short puck-drop ceremony featuring former Leaf star Steve Thomas on the occasion of the Air Canada Centre's 10th anniversary, and a decision by Vancouver coach Alain Vignault to start Sundin right away, all but ended any chance for the fans to make their opinions known.

Until the video tribute came along.

Asked by Friedman if he'd be upset to be booed, Sundin said, "Of course. I understand the fans who need and want to have success [in Toronto]."

Many Leafs fans are bitter toward him for not waiving the no-trade clause, which might have helped the team's rebuilding effort.

"It was an unfortunate situation," Sundin said. "Saying that, as I said, I felt I did what I felt was right, being the captain of the team, staying with the team.

"I felt we still had a chance to make the playoffs, I think there was still 20 games left to play in the regular season [and] I didn't want to jump ship and leave the team at that time, and I would have done the same thing today."

Entering Saturday's game, Sundin — who has six goals and a dozen points in 17 games — has helped the Canucks climb to fifth spot in the Western Conference and to within eight points of first-place Calgary in the Northwest Division.

He's settling in, but told Friedman he still has strong feelings for Toronto.

Does he still cheer for the Maple Leafs?

"Of course I do," Sundin said.

Except, of course, when they play his Vancouver Canucks.